Latest news with #SteveMaloney
NZ Herald
11-08-2025
- NZ Herald
Chinese student tour group traumatised by girl's stabbing death in Newcastle
'There are around 15 of them, across a few year groups, but none of them came back to school again,' a classmate said. 'Some had made good friends here, but I don't think we will see them again before they leave on Saturday.' The two girls had been staying with local couple Steve Maloney and Tracey Taylor at their Euston Close home. Neighbours reported the couple were 'good people', and police Superintendent Tracy Chapman said they had been working closely with investigators. 'No doubt this is a shock and a significant event in their lives as well,' she said. 'All parties had retired to their rooms for the evening when one of the hosts heard a commotion of some sort, and when she went to investigate, she located the 14-year-old.' A student told the Mail that most of the kids in the Chinese study tour met for the first time at the airport on the way to Australia. 'But they had ten hours together before arriving in Australia and saw each other every day, so the news was really shocking to all of them,' they said. In a statement, the school's co-principals Peter Muddle and Tracey Ashton said they were 'deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic incident involving two visiting Chinese students who have been in Australia since last week as part of a tour group'. 'Our priority has been to ensure care and professional support is in place for our school community, as well as for the visiting students and their carers who find themselves dealing with grief far away from their families,' they said. The tour, run by a Beijing-based company, is the second held this year, and was previously held in April. The group was due to move on to other locations around Australia including the Great Ocean Rd after spending two weeks in Newcastle. 'They arrived in Australia eight days ago and were expected to depart Australia on the 16th of August,' Chapman said last week. 'NSW Police continue to work with the programme facilitators to ensure that all of the appropriate processes and notifications are being undertaken.' The 13-year-old girl's case will return to court in October.
Daily Mail
06-08-2025
- Daily Mail
Troubling new detail emerges about the 13-year-old exchange student accused of stabbing another teen girl to death at their host couple's home
A Chinese schoolgirl accused of murdering her fellow international student inside a suburban Newcastle home arrived in Australia carrying an 'extraordinary' amount of prescription medication. The 13-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was one of two teenage girls welcomed into the Edgeworth home of host couple Steve Maloney and Tracey Taylor as part of an exchange program. But what was supposed to be a dream trip to Australia ended in tragedy shortly after 10.30pm on Monday night when Ms Taylor heard a commotion inside her house, went to investigate and found the 14-year-old girl with a stab wound to her torso. Emergency services rushed to the home on Euston Close and paramedics fought to save the teen before she was rushed to John Hunter Hospital, where she tragically died shortly after she arrived. A kitchen knife, believed to be the weapon, was seized from the scene by police and is undergoing forensic testing. The accused 13-year-old was arrested and taken to Toronto Police Station where she was formally charged with murder on Tuesday night. At Broadmeadow Children's Court on Wednesday, the teenager did not appear but was represented by an agent for her solicitor who made no application for bail. Magistrate Andrew Eckhold said the charge was extremely serious and noted that mental health would be a key factor. The magistrate revealed the girl had brought a substantial array of medication with her when she travelled to Australia and said the facts provided by the police suggest she may have been 'dissociated' at the time of the alleged killing. 'This is a very complex matter,' he said. 'Very sensitive to mental health issues. It will be flagged to the juvenile detention system.' Her next court appearance has been scheduled for October 7 where she will be provide with a Mandarin interpreter. They had arrived from China on July 28 and were due to return home on August 16, after attending a local school and visiting tourist sites across the Hunter region. The host couple had been excitedly preparing for their young guests for weeks and had even joined a local parenting social media page to plan outings for them. 'I think they decided to take these girls in because of their background working with kids,' said one neighbour. 'Steves a lovely guy, very friendly. Tracey is a bit more on the quiet side, I think she may be shy and doesn't talk to the neighbours much, but they are good people.' It's believed Mr Maloney works at a local youth detention centre and Ms Taylor is a social worker. While its not known which study abroad program the students were participating in according to various agency websites hosts can be paid around $360-$470 per student per week. The costs very depending on the age and requirements of the students with younger teens being charged more. A host could be expected to be paid around $2800 for a three week stay for two students. In exchange hosts are expected to provide a single room and three meals a day. The pair have since been working closely with investigators. NSW Police Superintendent Tracey Chapman said they had provided a significant amount of information and were deeply affected by the incident. 'No doubt this is a shock and a significant event in their lives as well,' she said. 'I can't imagine what they're going through,' one neighbour said. 'It's absolutely awful.' Police have confirmed the two girls were not known to one another prior to being part of the same organised student exchange. But in a heartbreaking twist, the two girls had been seen smiling and giggling just hours before the tragedy, dropped off by a mini bus after what neighbours assumed was a regular school day. 'They looked like any other teenagers,' said one man who watched them walk up the driveway. 'They seemed happy. I heard them laughing. Nothing seemed off.' The crime scene remained taped off well into Tuesday as detectives from Strike Force Aggnes, assisted by the Homicide Squad, combed through the home. Superintendent Chapman confirmed the investigation involves multiple complexities due to language barriers, consular involvement, and the fact that neither child is an Australian citizen. 'Obviously it's a very complex matter, which is why it's taken us time to work through,' she said. Police continue to investigate the exact circumstances that led to the shocking incident and are interviewing fellow students, teachers, and program coordinators in an effort to understand what might have happened between the two girls in the lead-up to the fatal stabbing.
